GLOBAL MARKETING AT THE CROSSROADS
How Wide Is Your Swim Lane?
Nike, “Iron Nun,” and the growing tension between performance, participation, and belonging. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that don’t last very long that stay with you. A line of copy. A window message. Something that appears, sparks reaction, and disappears within a day. During marathon week in Boston—as the 130th Boston Marathon unfolded on Patriots’ […]
When Brands Know When to Step In—and When to Step Back
There are moments when brands are expected to act. And others when they simply have the opportunity. The difference isn’t always obvious. But how brands respond—especially in small, unscripted situations—can reveal far more than any campaign. Recently, a quiet story out of Japan captured global attention. A young macaque monkey named Punch, rejected by his […]
When AI Has All the Answers, What Happens to Us?
AI is becoming a guide—not just a tool. But guidance without experience may come at a cost. We are getting used to AI as a companion. Not just for work—where it is already reshaping strategy, analysis, and creativity—but for something far more personal: Guidance. People are beginning to ask AI questions they once reserved for […]
Media Innovation 2026: From Participation to Impact
The winners of The Internationalist’s 18th Annual Awards for Innovation in Media offer more than a collection of strong ideas—they provide a clear view of how media is evolving. Across categories, markets, and budgets, one theme stands out: media is no longer simply a channel for communication. It is becoming a system for participation, utility, […]
From Cause to Credibility
Why Care Is Personal—and Relevance Must Be Earned Cause marketing is being re-evaluated. In a more polarized, scrutinized, and performance-driven environment, brands are facing a harder question: Should they align with causes at all—and if so, what does it actually deliver? Recent research from Ipsos and Effie UK suggests the answer is more complex than […]
From Performance to Protection: How ROCKWOOL Is Reframing Marketing in a Changing World
In a market defined by pressure on costs, on supply chains, and on expectations, brand performance remains essential. But increasingly, marketing is being asked to do more than communicate performance; it must clarify what it enables and why it matters now. At ROCKWOOL, that shift is taking shape in a deliberate and meaningful way. With […]
Marketing’s Reset
A More Complete View of What Drives Growth … Marketing is not starting over.It’s stepping into a more complete—and more accountable—version of itself. At the center of that shift is something familiar, but newly urgent: trust. Across industries, leaders are being asked to deliver growth under new conditions—greater efficiency, faster cycles, and higher expectations for […]
Signals | When Effectiveness Meets Democracy
Effie’s new “Democracy” category suggests marketing is no longer just influencing consumers—it’s being asked to influence society itself. There are moments when an industry quietly redraws its boundaries.This may be one of them. At its Spring Conference in Lisbon, the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), together with Effie Awards Europe, introduced a new category: […]
e.l.f. and the Business Case for Cultural Fluency
We’ve spent years celebrating creativity and purpose. But we’ve spent far less time connecting marketing decisions to actual business outcomes. e.l.f. Beauty is one of the clearest examples that the two are not at odds. They are, increasingly, the same thing. Not Just “On Culture”—Built With It e.l.f. is often described as a brand that […]
Paris, Texas—and the New Geography of Relevance
JCPenney has spent years trying to find its way back into relevance. Not through a single campaign, but through a series of decisions—each one suggesting a brand that understands it must change not just what it sells, but how it shows up in culture. Its latest moves are deceptively simple. And that’s exactly why they […]